Well, I need to go to a top law school because I am not sure if I want to go at all, and better law schools have more value to trump opportunity costs. Going to YHS might be better than all my alternatives (working, a different graduate school, becoming a hermit, whatever), but Duke or Virginia likely isn't, in my view. Requirement isn't sufficiency, however - I am still not sure if I would go to ANY law school. Applications are fairly cheap, and the LSAT is enjoyable for me, so there's not a big risk involved with he process, whatever my ultimate decision. I guess I didn't really answer the question of what "type of person", but I suppose the type that shares my attribute of being somewhat ambivalent about law school in general.

i'm not really sure I get this. If you're not sure law school/law is what you want to do, wouldn't it make sense to take less debt? I don't think your non-law options are significantly less coming from UVa versus Yale. But maybe i'm wrong?

Personal hit? To be honest there was only one T20 school I wanted to go to from the outset, maybe two. I don't like being around snobby people all the freaking time, I did that for 3 years. I'm sure several of you T14'ers aren't but that was the impression I got before I started applying.

Haha amen my friend. I think you'll find midwesterners are a lot more grounded and friendly in general than the UVa UG types from the East Coast/NOVA

1) I said "in general" dumba$$, so of course it's a generalization and not always the case2) Since he and I have the same view of East Coast people from UVa (having both gone there), I was saying he'll probably have the same view I do in regards to Midwesterners.3) I wasn't talking about the whole East Coast, just the UVa UG population that draws from it4) Considering how much everyone knocks the Midwest, I think it's only fair to defend it, and it wouldn't be snobby to do so. The culture is definitely more laidback than the East Coast IN GENERAL.

People NEED to go to a certain level of school because they have expectations for themselves. Judging from the type of people who go into law, we're born competitors. Even if we're only competing against ourselves, we're the kind of people who NEED to run 4 miles in 25 minutes when we jog, who NEED to make dean's list in the 8th semester, long after we've been accepted to our dream school, who NEED to go to a certain level of grad school. Some people can be happy with being mediocre (however you personally measure that), but I'll never be satisfied with being "good enough." I NEED to succeed. I NEED to wake up tomorrow knowing that I'm just a little bit better than I was yesterday. That's why I refused to put down a seat deposit at a school below the T6. That was my measuring stick, and I wouldn't have been happy at a T1 school.

Well, I need to go to a top law school because I am not sure if I want to go at all, and better law schools have more value to trump opportunity costs. Going to YHS might be better than all my alternatives (working, a different graduate school, becoming a hermit, whatever), but Duke or Virginia likely isn't, in my view. Requirement isn't sufficiency, however - I am still not sure if I would go to ANY law school. Applications are fairly cheap, and the LSAT is enjoyable for me, so there's not a big risk involved with he process, whatever my ultimate decision. I guess I didn't really answer the question of what "type of person", but I suppose the type that shares my attribute of being somewhat ambivalent about law school in general.

i'm not really sure I get this. If you're not sure law school/law is what you want to do, wouldn't it make sense to take less debt? I don't think your non-law options are significantly less coming from UVa versus Yale. But maybe i'm wrong?

Well, if I go to law school, I will definitely practice law. The decision will come before that.

Though I haven't read any of the other answers, I don't think anyone needs to go to a top school, but there are people who will only go to a top school or nothing else. These people are usually broke or very risk adverse and only want to go to law school if they are SURE it will pay off financially - something only top schools can legitimately promise. Also, people who already have good jobs or job offers won't want to leave unless it is for a top school.

If all you desire is to become a lawyer then no person NEEDS to go to a top school.

"need" cannot ever stand alone. it must always be accompanied with "in order to..."

Yes, it most certainly can. I do not "need" to explain why I feel a certain way. If I feel the "need" to go pee right now, I don't "need" to tell you that is because I just drank a pint of beer. I could, and it would add extra information, but I certainly do not NEED to do so.

"need" cannot ever stand alone. it must always be accompanied with "in order to..."

Yes, it most certainly can. I do not "need" to explain why I feel a certain way. If I feel the "need" to go pee right now, I don't "need" to tell you that is because I just drank a pint of beer. I could, and it would add extra information, but I certainly do not NEED to do so.

that's funny. last night when i was thinking about responding to that post, I started using a peeing analogy.

I got into a T14 school but I chose not to go. Price was a determining factor. $120,000 for tuition vs. $30,000 for a school that was 20 slots away. Could not justify going into that much debt just for the name (which is pretty much what it boils down to).